Floor system and floor with a plurality of floor panels

ABSTRACT

A floor system and a floor of a plurality of floor panels of support boards with at least one coated surface, which have a decoration and locking devices on the support board edges, which devices make it possible to connect two or more floor panels to one another and prevent a displacement of the floor panels with respect to one another in the laying plane and/or perpendicular thereto. A first part of the floor panels has support boards of wood or a woodbased material and a second part of the floor panels has support boards of a plastic.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to German Application Serial No 10 2005 017 443.4, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a floor system with a plurality of floor panels of support boards with at least one coated surface, which have a decoration and locking devices on the support board edges, which devices make it possible to connect several floor panels to one another and prevent a displacement of the floor panels with respect to one another in the laying plane and/or perpendicular thereto, and a floor of such floor panels connected to one another.

BACKGROUND DESCRIPTION

Floorings with support boards of different materials are known. There are, i.e., floorings with support boards of HDF or MDF, of solid wood or plywood with decorative layers applied thereto, whereby the decorative layers can also be provided with a wear-resistant layer. If the support boards are made of MDF or HDF, a counteracting layer is applied to the side of the board facing away from the decorative side in order to prevent a warping of the finished floor panel. Floor panels with a support board of plastic and a decorative layer on the top are likewise known.

In order to connect such floor panels to one another, locking devices are attached to the edges of the support boards in order to lock the boards to one another in a positive manner, so that a displacement in the laying plane and, if necessary, perpendicular thereto is prevented. Such a connection of two or more floor panels is also made without adhesives.

DE 19 69 289 U is known as a carpet tile made of needle felt. The carpet tile is adhered to a square hard plate. The plate is provided with dovetailed recesses through which the tile can be connected to other tiles.

A mobile floor with a variable surface is known from AT 6 643 U1, which comprises a plurality of elements with a subfloor and a surface layer. The subfloor is profiled such that the profiles of adjacent elements engage with one another on all sides, and it also has recesses that accommodate the extensions of a corner element.

A number of methods for connecting several floor panels to one another are also known. These methods, though, differ from manufacturer to manufacturer and from application to application and as a rule are not compatible with one another. Thus, it is also known that boards of different materials are not compatible with one another in that they have different locking devices (e.g., locking mechanisms) and thus cannot be connected to one another.

Support boards of wood or woodbased material react with water so that such a floor panel swells upon contact with water, white conversely it shrinks upon drying. These properties of a support board of wood or woodbased materials makes laying impossible in areas with waterlogging or high moisture ratios. Floor panels with pure plastic support boards are relatively heavy, provide a poorer impact sound insulation and are more expensive than floor panels with woodbased material support boards.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a flooring system that is flexible and can be used in particular in areas with a high moisture ratio. The floor system according to the invention provides that a first part of the floor panels has a support board that is made of wood or a woodbased material, while a second part of the floor panels has support boards that are made of a plastic or a mixture of plastic and wood fibers. Through this mixture of floor panels compatible with one another and made of different support board materials, it is possible to produce a flooring of different materials which can be laid without adhesive with a corresponding development of the locking devices, e.g., as modified groove and tongue joints. The different types of support boards can be mixed with one another so that different areas in a room can be laid with a floor panel suitable therefor. Thus, for example, the area under a bathtub, a shower or a wash basin can be laid with a floor panel with a support board material that is suitable for the amounts of moisture occurring there.

Floor panels with support boards of plastic are to be provided in such areas exposed to moisture, for example. The area in a room with little or no contact with water, for example in the middle of a bathroom or a kitchen, can be laid with a floor panel, e.g., a laminate floor panel with an HDF or MDF support board. A flooring thus results in a mixed laying that is adapted to the laying situation required.

A further development of the invention provides that all the floor panels of the system have the same decoration so that a uniform floor surface can be produced. In addition, it is possible that, although the same type of decoration is used, different color values or color shades are provided depending on the material of the support board. Thus, on the one hand special laying patterns can be produced, and on the other hand it can be clarified which areas are suitable for an exposure to water and which are not suitable for other areas.

Alternatively, the first part of the floor panels with support boards of a woodbased material or of wood has a different decoration from the second part of the floor panels with support boards of plastic in order to clarify a clear separation of the respective functional areas.

The support boards of plastic can be embodied, e.g., of polyamide, polycarbonate, polypropylene or polyethylene; the support boards of a woodbased material, of HDF or MDF. A moisture-resistant support board can likewise be provided through a mixture of plastic and wood fiber.

The invention also provides a floor of floor panels with different support boards of which the locking system is compatible among one another so that a floor panel with a support board of a woodbased material can be connected to a floor panel with a support board of a plastic in order to produce a closed floor surface. The floor panels are equipped with so-called click profiles that make it possible to lay them with one another without adhesive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with the aid to the following drawing, which shows an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a floor system with a plurality of floor panels of support boards of different materials. In embodiments, the plurality of floor panels have at least one coated surface, which have a decoration. The flooring panels include locking devices on the support board edges configured to connect several floor panels to one another and prevent a displacement of the floor panels with respect to one another in the laying plane and/or perpendicular thereto, and a floor of such floor panels connected to one another. Thus, floor panels with different type of material support boards have locking devices which can be connected to one another in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 1 shows, in plan view, a layout of a bathroom that is laid with floor panels 5, 6. It should be understood, though, that the plan view of the floor panels can be implemented in other areas, as contemplated by the invention. In this embodiment, the floor panels 5, 6 form a floor that covers the entire floor area of the room.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a bathtub 2 is placed on the floor in the bathroom, while a toilet 3 and a vanity 2 are attached to a bathroom wall 1. Floor panels 5 with a support board of plastic, which are shown by crosshatching, are laid in the area around the bathtub 2, the toilet 3 and the vanity 4. In the other areas of the bathroom, the floor is laid with floor panels 6 that have a support board only of a woodbased material, preferably of HDF or MDF. The floor panels 5, 6 are connected to one another and form a closed floor. Alternatively to an embodiment of the support boards of a pure plastic, floor panels 5 with support boards of a plastic/wood fiber mixture can also be provided.

Thus, in embodiments, different types of support boards can be mixed with one another so that different areas in a room can be laid with a floor panel suitable therefor. In embodiments, all the floor panels have the same decoration so that a uniform floor surface can be produced. In addition, although the same type of decoration is used, different color values or color shades are provided depending on the material of the support board. Thus, special laying patterns can be produced, and it can be clarified which areas are suitable for an exposure to water and which are not suitable. Alternatively, the floor panels with support boards of a woodbased material or of wood can have a different decoration from the second part of the floor panels with support boards of plastic.

Moreover, a floor of floor panels with different support boards can be compatible among one another so that a floor panel with a support board of a first material, e.g., woodbased material, can be connected to a floor panel with a support board of a second material, e.g., plastic, in order to produce a closed floor surface.

While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications and in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

1. A floor system with several floor panels of support boards with at least one coated surface that has a decoration and with locking devices on edges of the support boards to connect two or more floor panels to one another and prevent a displacement of the floor panels with respect to one another in at least one of a laying plane and perpendicular thereto, wherein a first part of the floor panels has support boards of wood or a woodbased material and a second part of the floor panels has support boards of a plastic.
 2. The floor system according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the floor panels has support boards that are HDF or MDF boards.
 3. The floor system according to claim 1, wherein the second part of the floor panels has support boards of plastic or a mixture of plastic and wood fibers.
 4. The floor system according to claim 3, wherein the plastic is polyamide, polycarbonate, polypropylene or polyethylene.
 5. The floor system according to claim 1, wherein the floor panels have a uniform decoration.
 6. The floor system according to claim 1, wherein the decoration has different color values depending on a type of support board.
 7. The floor system according to claim 1, wherein the floor panels with different types of support boards have different decorations.
 8. A floor with a plurality of floor panels of support boards with at least one coated-surface, which have a decoration and locking devices on support board edges, the locking devices connect two or more floor panels to one another and prevent a displacement of the floor panels with respect to one another in at least one of a laying plane and perpendicular thereto, wherein the floor panels with support boards of wood or a woodbased material and floor panels with support boards of a plastic are connected to one another and laid.
 9. A floor system having support boards having two or more floor panels, comprising: a first part of the floor panels having support boards of a first material type; a second part of the floor panels having support boards of a different, second material type; and the floor panels of the first part and the second part have locking devices configured to connect the two or more panels together and prevent a displacement of the floor panels with respect to one another in at least one of a laying plane and perpendicular thereto.
 10. The flooring system of claim 9, wherein the first material type is wood or a woodbased material and the different, second material is plastic.
 11. The floor system according to claim 9, wherein the first material type is HDF or MDF boards.
 12. The floor system according to claim 9, wherein the different, second material type is plastic or a mixture of plastic and wood fibers.
 13. The floor system according to claim 12, wherein the plastic is polyamide, polycarbonate, polypropylene or polyethylene.
 14. The floor system according to claim 9, wherein the floor panels have a uniform decoration.
 15. The floor system according to claim 9, wherein the floor panels have a decoration with different color values depending on a type of support board.
 16. The floor system according to claim 9, wherein the floor panels with different types of support boards have different decorations. 